CHICAGO — Democratic incumbents Gov. JB Pritzker and U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth are leading their opponents by double digits, with the governor also faring better than Republican candidate Darren Bailey on his own turf in downstate Illinois, a WBEZ/Chicago Sun-Times poll found. The findings ahead of the Nov. 8 election — and less than a…
The utility has also entered into a so-called deferred-prosecution agreement with U.S. Attorney John Lausch’s office, similar to the deal cut by ComEd when the feds charged it with bribery more than two years ago. CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has leveled an additional criminal charge against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan as…
CHICAGO — The attorney general’s race rarely grabs front-page headlines — but experts and advocates across the political spectrum say the position is one of the most essential in the state. In addition to the hot-button issues of crime and criminal justice reform, Illinois’ next attorney general could play a key role in everything from…
SPRINGFIELD — For the first time in a quarter century, Illinois voters won’t be seeing the name Jesse White on the ballot for secretary of state this November. Instead, voters will choose from Chicago Democrat Alexi Giannoulias, State Rep. Dan Brady, R-Bloomington, and Libertarian Jon Stewart from Deerfield. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s402/audio/2022/10/ipr-sos-feature-mi.wav Listen to this story here. Despite…
Mario McMinn’s eyes start to burn by hour five of staring at screens. He’s a high school sophomore who isn’t blind but has a visual impairment. When he and everyone else were forced to learn from home in 2020, it meant his whole day was looking at his iPad and computer. https://cpa.ds.npr.org/s528/audio/2022/10/1004stuf.mp3 Listen to this…
Illinois voters will be asked on the Nov. 8 ballot whether they want to amend the state constitution to enshrine the rights of workers to organize and collectively bargain as a constitutional right. The proposed amendment would codify the rights of private and public sector workers to negotiate wages, working conditions and more. Proponents say…
NORMAL – The frenetic first televised face-to-face debate between Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and Republican Darren Bailey Thursday devolved into a battle over who of the two is Illinois’ biggest liar and threat to the state. The high-stakes showdown at Illinois State University — roughly a month ahead of the election — covered abortion, guns…
PEORIA — The two candidates vying for the opening seat representing the 17th U.S. Congressional District had widely differing opinions on a variety of topics during a debate Monday night at Bradley University’s Hayden-Clark Alumni Center. Republican Esther Joy King and Democratic nominee Eric Sorensen are seeking to follow retiring U.S. Rep. Cheri Bustos, D-Moline,…
Over the past four years, Pritzker made good on campaign promises, but faced criticism for pandemic-related restrictions and a failed tax revamp. When JB Pritzker first announced his run for governor in a packed South Side gymnasium in 2017, he told reporters he’d be a “progressive governor for everyone.” Since then, the Gold Coast Democrat…
The GOP nominee for governor gained fame as the voice of opposition on cultural issues — gun rights, abortion — at the statehouse. But he passed few bills of his own. As Illinois’ landmark abortion-rights law was finalized in 2019, current Republican gubernatorial hopeful Darren Bailey grew exasperated about extending protections to an “individual” beyond…
An Illinois State University administrator has died four days after he collided with a bicycle on the Illinois State University campus. According to a joint news release from McLean County Coroner Kathy Yoder and ISU Police Chief Aaron Woodruff, 49-year-old Adam Peck died on Friday morning. Peck was a pedestrian who was involved in a…
The Old State Capitol in downtown Springfield has been accepted to the National Park Service’s National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom. That announcement was made Thursday. The building is one of 17 new listings spanning 13 states. The Network, now consisting of more than 700 sites, honors and preserves the history of resistance to enslavement…
An independent expert who has monitored the mental health care was terminated reducing the transparency around an often failing system. CHICAGO — The Illinois Department of Corrections has long faced accusations of abuse and violence toward people with mental illness and has continually failed to fill positions for mental health care workers. Now for the…
Conspiracy theorists inundate election officials across the state with form letters demanding voter records and threatening lawsuits. CHICAGO — No Republican nominee for president has won Illinois since 1988, with Joe Biden beating Donald Trump by more than 1 million votes in the last election two years ago. As a reliably blue state, Illinois has…
Revenues continue to grow as professional sports maintain schedules and betting options increase SPRINGFIELD — It was a slow start for one of Illinois’ newest revenue sources. But sports betting continues to gather momentum. “I’m very happy that we have additional money, that this is on the positive side of the equation,” said Illinois State…